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Cancer/Updated Transcript
Transcript Title text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby An animation shows a group of robots playing on a mini golf course. A sign reads, "Find a Cure Invitational". A robot, Moby, kneels down next to his golf ball. He's lining up his next shot. A boy, Tim, comments on the action like an announcer. TIM: This is a tough one, folks. To stay in this game, he'll have to bank it off the polar bear, then through the windmill, down the spiral, and into the hole, all in one shot. An animation shows the difficult hole. TIM: Arnold Palmer himself would sweat this one. An animation shows Moby practicing his swing. Beads of sweat drip from under his hat. TIM: And this guy is no Arnold Palmer. Moby attempts to putt the ball. TIM: He's not even an Arnold Palmer. Moby completely misses the ball. TIM: Folks, I'm saying that this guy would lose to a cold beverage. Moby gives up. He drops his club on the ground. He hands a letter to Tim, who reads from it. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What happens when someone gets diagnosed with cancer? From, Anastasia and Mercedes. I’m glad you asked. Because cancer affects a lot of people’s lives—whether it's their own health, a friend or relative's, or even a pet's. An animation shows a boy giving flowers to a cancer patient in a hospital. TIM: It can be really scary, especially when you don’t know much about it. The good news is, doctors and scientists have learned a lot about cancer. And that knowledge is helping more people get successful treatment. Other images of cancer patients appear. One patient is resting on a couch at home. Another patient is consulting with a doctor. Another patient reads a newspaper while a machine performs a procedure. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Cancer is a disease that happens when cells start dividing uncontrollably. Every living thing is made up of one or more cells, and we humans have trillions. An animation shows a silhouette of a human being. It reveals trillions of tiny cells on the person's face. TIM: Each is created through cell division: One cell splits into two. That's how our bodies grow, and replace old, worn-out cells. An animation shows a cell dividing. It creates two cells that are identical. TIM: Normally, cells follow a set of rules so that new ones are made only when and where they're needed. These rules are written into your genetic code, in a molecule called DNA. It’s packed into every cell, and it has all of the instructions for building and maintaining your body. An animation shows a cell's DNA. It has a double-helix shape. TIM: Every time a cell is born, it gets its own copy of the DNA instruction manual. An animation shows a smiling cell. It has a DNA symbol on its chest. It makes a copy of itself. The new cell also has a DNA symbol. TIM: But occasionally, there'll be a mistake. The two cells copy themselves. One of the new cells has a warning symbol instead of a DNA symbol on its chest. TIM: These mutations can occur while DNA's being copied during cell division. Or from damage that happens later on. Fortunately, our cells are really good at finding and fixing these errors. The cell with the mutation takes out a pencil. It erases the warning symbol from its chest and then gives a thumbs up. TIM: Even when a single mutation slips by, it usually isn't a big deal. The mistake will get copied into new cells without causing any problems. One of the mutated cells copies itself several times. TIM: But over time, multiple mutations can build up. One of the mutated cells makes a copy of itself. The new cell has a double warning symbol. That cell divides, and creates another cell with a triple warning symbol. TIM: If there are enough mistakes in the rules for cell division, cancer can arise. The mutated cells continue to divide. The number on the warning symbol increases with each division. Eventually, a cancer cell is born. TIM: The cell will divide when it’s not supposed to, or it won't stop when it should. In many cancers, this creates a tumor: a lump of abnormal cells. The animation reveals that the cancer cell is part of a large tumor. MOBY: Beep? TIM: As the cells keep dividing, they can become more disruptive. And cancer cells may start to spread to new areas of the body. An animation shows a cancer cell floating through the bloodstream. TIM: This process, called metastasis, is how cancer can get really dangerous. As it spreads, it interferes with the body's ordinary functions. An animation shows the outline of a person's body. Shadows of the organs are slightly visible. TIM: In the lungs, cancer interferes with breathing. In the stomach, it can get in the way of digesting food. The lungs and stomach light up when Tim talks about them. TIM: The more it spreads, the more difficult it is to treat. Several other organs light up. TIM: That's why catching cancer early is so important. MOBY: Beep? Moby grabs Tim's arm. He looks for blemishes on Tim's skin. TIM: Right, it can be frightening to find some new spot or bump on your body. Tim takes his arm back. TIM: Don't worry: These things are almost never cancer, especially in kids. Childhood cancers are rare, because our DNA hasn't had time to build up a lot of mistakes. But as people get older, it's not a bad idea to look out for this stuff. An animation shows an older woman. She examines a few dark spots on her arm. TIM: Most times, doctors rule out anything a patient finds as a freckle or whatever. An animation shows the woman at an appointment with a doctor. The doctor examines the spots on her arm. TIM: But if they're not sure, they may take a small sample of tissue, called a biopsy. An animation shows a doctor performing a biopsy. The doctor uses a needle to collect a tissue sample. TIM: Or order a body scan, an image of what’s happening inside the body. An animation shows a patient getting a body scan. The patient is laying on a table inside of a machine. A doctor monitors the patient through a window. TIM: Most lumps turn out to be benign tumors: a harmless mass of cells. An animation shows a woman in the doctor's office. The doctor points to a chart of a benign tumor. TIM: If it does turn out to be cancer, location has a lot to do with how dangerous it is. Skin tumors are easier to catch early and treat, since they're right on the surface. An animation shows the outline of the human body. A small spot on the arm glows red. TIM: While tumors deep inside are more likely to go unnoticed and spread. One of the internal organs lights up. Then more organs light up. TIM: In some cases, the patient can have surgery and recover quickly. Even tumors that are harmful, or malignant, can often be removed with surgery if they’re detected early. An animation shows the woman with the tumor leaving an outpatient surgery ward. TIM: Many times, cancer treatment plans also include chemotherapy, or chemo. An animation shows a cancer patient sitting next to a chemotherapy machine. A tube is hooked into her arm. She reads a newspaper while the machine works. TIM: These are drugs that interfere with cell division—which cancer cells thrive on. An animation shows a molecule of a chemo drug. The molecule uses its arms to prevent a cancer cell from dividing more. TIM: Unfortunately, that also affects healthy tissue. Especially cells in the gut and hair roots, since they're supposed to divide a lot. The chemo molecule squishes a gut cell and a hair cell. Neither of them can divide. TIM: That's why patients on chemo often lose hair. They also tend to lose weight, and can feel nauseous. An animation shows a cancer patient sitting on a couch. A bandana covers her bald head. A family member places a bucket next to her on the ground. TIM: Doctors may also prescribe radiation, which uses high-energy waves, kind of like x-rays. These rays mainly hurt cancer cells, but can affect healthy cells, too. Patients often feel tired and have some skin irritation afterward. An animation shows a pair of lungs with cancer. Radiation waves attack the cancer cells. TIM: Both therapies can be grueling, but they've saved lots of lives. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Yeah, sometimes patients don't make it, even after long and difficult treatments. Saying goodbye can be one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. An animation shows an older man lying in a hospital bed. A young boy enters the room. TIM: Feeling sad or scared or even angry is completely normal. Remember there are people around you who love and support you. The boy's mom enters the hospital room. She places a hand on his shoulder. TIM: Talking about your feelings with an adult you trust can help you feel better. By the way, cancer isn’t contagious—so hugs are just fine. The boy hugs the old man. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The good news is, we're getting steadily better at treating cancer. Over the last few decades, rates of remission have gone way up. That’s when the signs of cancer are reduced or disappear completely. An animation shows the outline of a human body. An inset bubble shows an area of the leg with skin cancer. The cancer spots disappear one-by-one. TIM: More than 90 percent of children with leukemia, a cancer of the blood, achieve complete remission. That's by far the most common childhood cancer. An animation shows a boy in a doctor's office. The doctor reviews the boy's chart and gives him a high five. TIM: And researchers are developing safer and more effective treatments for all kinds of cancers. One is immunotherapy, which helps the body’s immune system attack cancer cells. Just like how it would fight off common cold or flu germs. An animation shows an immune system cell. It looks like a secret agent. It opens a top-secret file containing its cancer mission. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yup, support from family and friends can be a big factor in recovery, too. So if someone you know is battling cancer, show them that you have their back. An animation shows the patient on the couch reading with her mom. Another animation shows a boy bringing flowers to the old man. TIM: They’ll appreciate any gesture that you care. Like taking care of things they're too tired or sick to do. An animation shows a girl carrying a tray with a meal. She gives it to her mother, who has cancer. TIM: Planning something fun to brighten their day. An animation shows a boy getting ice cream with the woman who just had skin cancer surgery. TIM: Or even holding a fundraiser, like Moby and I! An animation shows Tim standing in front of the "Find a Cure Invitational" sign. MOBY: Beep! Moby is standing behind a drink stand. The sign says, "Arnold Palmers: $12." He pours a drink into a glass. TIM: Oh, come on now, who's gonna pay twelve bucks for an Arnold Palmer? Moby adds another sign to his stand. It reads, "Donations for Cancer Research." Several robots scramble to get in line for a drink. TIM: Well played. Category:BrainPOP Science Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Transcripts